Caught by the Dark
by goldenstarshine
Summary: When Sakura is kidnapped, it's up to her to escape. But sometimes you realize that there's a differnce between knowing and doing. SakuraxItachi
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Naruto

I would love to own Kakashi, but sadly, I don't own him either. However, any OC that I might throw in ARE mine.

Caught by the Dark

Chapter One

She had been running through the trees for hours, chakra helping her increase her speed. Her teammates and she were supposed to meet at the clearing in order to exchange information. That had been the plan, but everything changed once she realized she was being hunted.

Pain burned in her chest, her steps faltering for a mere second, but that second was more than enough to allow her pursuers the chance to catch up. Glancing around, all she saw was red clouds before she reacted instinctively and threw up an arm to block a punch and then swinging around to retaliate with a chakra enhanced kick.

She heard a small grunt of pain and then she was off, running again, hoping that she could vanish, but knowing it was hopeless. Mouth setting into a grim expression, she turned at the last second, kunai and shuriken in her hand. If she was going to be captured, she might as well go down fighting.

* * *

"…MIA, probably captured. There were signs of a struggle, part of the forest had been torn apart and there were several fire marks, as well as kunai and shuriken scattered everywhere."

The Fifth Hokage sighed and leaned back into her chair. Across from her desk were three people she wished with all her heart she didn't have to face right now. All three were probably struggling with guilt, with anger, and the need to find their missing teammate.

"We need to go find her!! Why are we just standing around doing nothing?" The usually exuberant blonde was glaring at her, hands clenched where they rested on her desks. "We can't let anyone hurt her! It-." His voice cracked slightly before he shook his head and continued. "It's our fault she's missing. We have to find her."

Tsunade finally looked up at her successor, struggling not to yell. At 20, Naruto was still loud, but he had toned down on other areas. He had finally realized that orange is not a ninja color and had taken to wearing blacks and deep blues. He had also proposed to Hinata the year before, and the Hyuuga had happily agreed. Their wedding had been three months ago, and the two were expecting their first child soon.

But Naruto was still as protective of those he loved, and the loss of his teammate was hard for him. Tsunade knew this, and knew that yelling would only make it worse.

"Naruto, it's not your fault. Sakura is more than capable of being able to take care of herself. If anything, it's my fault for sending her on a mission. I knew there were people looking for her, but I still sent her. If anyone is to blame, then it's me."

The white-haired jounin leaning against the wall frowned. "Hokage, who exactly is after Sakura? We haven't received any reports, or if you have, then why haven't we been informed?"

Tsunade sighed, she could feel a headache coming on. "Sakura didn't want me to tell anyone. She didn't want me to worry you. She thought that given time, they would just give up." Team Kakashi did nothing but watch her, their expressions demanding an explanation. Tsunade sighed again. "Shizune, could you fetch it please?" Her assistant nodded and fetched a book, handing it to the blonde Hokage. Flipping through a few pages, she held it open to the trio in front of her, ignoring their surprise.

"Understand now? If you had found out, you would have asked questions, would have never let her do anything. It's not something Sakura would have wanted."

"But what did Sakura do to get her into the Bingo Book old lady?" Tsunade glared. "Watch it your brat. I'm not old." She leaned back again. "First off, Sakura did kill Sasori, I'm sure you realize that that's not an easy thing to accomplish. Then she killed Sasuke, with some help of course, but it can't be denied that she didn't do it." Ignoring Naruto's sudden silence she went on.

"She's also the most well-known medic, other than Shizune and me, and as such, her talents would be sought by many." Now came the hardest part. "But the main reason, is that Sakura was in Anbu."

"No!!" Naruto shouted. "She can't! She's still on team, she doesn't have a mask, she doesn't even have a tattoo. How can she be Anbu? Why didn't she tell us?"

Tsunade merely watched as Kashi walked over to Naruto to lay a supportive hand on his shoulder. The third member, Sai, just stood still, fighting to keep his face neutral. Unlike Naruto, Sai had perfect control of his emotions. Usually.

Briskly Tsunade stood. "There are many reasons why you didn't know. Foremost, it's because Sakura didn't want you to know. As for the team, she asked to remain with Team Kakashi and I let her. You all go on missions that are A-ranked and S-ranked regularly, so it only helps to keep her on. And yes, she does have a mask and a tattoo. She just doesn't show you the mask, and she can easily mask the tattoo with a simple jutsu."

She walked over to look outside a window. "I know you want to find her. And I would rather I sent someone else. You are also in danger from the Akatsuki, and I would sooner not loose both of you. However, I'm giving Team Kakashi a new mission."

Three pairs of eyes looked at her curiously. She turned around and crossed her arms firmly. "Team Kakashi, your mission is to find Sakura Haruno."

A/N: Ok, so, this is my first Naruto fic. I hope I didn't make the characters OOC. If I did, please let me know so I can try not to do it again. Anyways, thanks for reading, I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Naruto

**As much as I would love to own Naruto, I don't. If I did, I'd be rich, and at the moment I'm dirt poor. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter Two**

The kunoichi whom everyone was obsessed with at the moment was slowly waking up to a world of pain. With an annoyed grunt she sat up, wincing when her body protested. She reached up to feel her face first, already knowing that there were going to be bruises. She felt sticky blood covering her chin and her cheek. She had most likely sustained a head wound.

Cursing softly, Sakura reached up, fingers questing. Sighing happily when she found her nose unbroken, the sigh quickly turned into a huff of displeasure when she found the cause of all the blood. A shallow gash was right over her eye. She was lucky it hadn't caused her eye to become stuck together.

Her hand glowed a soft green when she laid it against the cut, healing it before resting against her side. Sakura checked the rest of her body, healing the few major injuries she had sustained. She was curious as to why they hadn't taken her chakra away. She had caused enough damage and handed out enough injuries to make her capturers wary of her, yet she still retained her chakra.

Frowning at this conundrum, Sakura stood and walked around the room she was being held in. It was small, enough to fit in a bed, desk, and small dresser. Other than a thick rug, the room was bare; the only light coming from a small window covered by thick bars on the outside. Sakura walked quietly to the door and opened it gently and peeked out. No one was there. Grinning in elation, she started to sneak down the hall, only to be stopped by a deep voice.

"Where do you think you are going kunoichi?" Sakura twirled around in fright to meet red and black eyes. Instantly she looked elsewhere, afraid to be caught in his genjutsus. He chuckled darkly, obviously amused at her discomfort. "I asked you where you are going. I do not like being ignored."

Sakura's temper flared, and it was only the knowledge of what those eyes could do that kept her from glaring at him. Instead, she glared at the floor, boring holes into the carpet. "So nice to see you again Itachi, it's been awhile. As for what I'm doing, I'm taking a nice long walk, preferably back to Konoha. You didn't really think that I would willingly stay here, do you? Just because you're an S-Class criminal doesn't mean you have to be stupid."

Sakura's eyes opened wide when she realized what she had just said. Cursing inwardly, she felt, rather than saw Itachi grab her by the throat and pin her to the wall. Trying to avoid his eyes was impossible now. The Last Uchiha smirked, eyes spinning. "Trust me kunoichi, I am far from stupid."

The last thing Sakura saw before falling under his genjutsu were those spinning eyes taunting her.

Itachi looked down impassively at the now unconscious kunoichi slumped against the wall. He couldn't believe she would be so naïve as to think that they would leave her unguarded. They continually switched watches every four hours. It was tedious, but no one wanted to disobey Leader's orders. He had wanted the girl captured and kept, so that's what they would do.

The Uchiha inwardly sighed in annoyance before picking up the Konaha ninja and carrying her to her room. This time she wouldn't be moving for a long time.

* * *

Naruto was waiting impatiently at the gate for his teammates, hopping from one foot to another. He had left immediately after Tsunade had told them what their mission was, and he had raced home to pack. Thankfully he always repacked his belongings after every mission, so he just had to grab his pack. Now he almost wished that he hadn't, so he wouldn't be waiting at the gate by himself. At least packing would've kept him occupied.

Huffing anxiously, he looked at the sun again, gauging the time. They didn't have to report until ten more minutes, but he wanted Kakashi and Sai to get their butts over there now.

It was while he was bouncing up and down that he finally saw Sai walking towards him with a smirk. "What's the matter Naruto, need to use the bathroom?" The blonde glared angrily at the pale-skinned ninja. "Shut up Sai. I just want to go find Sakura. This is taking too long already."

"Calm down Naruto, rushing in won't help us find her. We need to be prepared." The two boys turned to see their team leader leaning against the gate. "Yo." He raised a hand in a small wave and smiled his infamous eye smile. Naruto lost it. "What do you mean 'Yo'? We need to hurry and find Sakura!"

The Copy-ninja sighed. Naruto was never going to learn to keep his emotions in check. "We can go now Naruto, but you need to understand that hurrying and making a mess won't help Sakura at all. I'm sure you don't want that to happen."

The future Hokage sobered immediately. "Yeah, I guess. Anyways, let's go!" Kakashi nodded, and the trio stepped outside the gates and began to race to where Sakura's lost known position was.

* * *

Three hours later Team Kakashi stood in the small clearing where the evidence of Sakura's fight had been discovered. Tsunade hadn't been kidding when she said part of the forest had been destroyed. Obviously Sakura had unleashed her fearsome chakra control on the enemy, slamming her fist or foot into the ground. The result was smashed trees and ground all around them. The trees were also singed by fire and scarred by kunai and shuriken. This hadn't been an easy capture; Sakura's kidnappers would have had to put up a good fight.

Kakashi had summoned his nin-dogs who were currently sniffing the surrounding area, hoping to find any traces of a trail. The ninjas were going over everything, hoping to find a clue about who they were up against.

It was Sai who first found anything. He help up a small piece of black fabric that he had found caught on a bush and called his team mates over. Both stared at intently, realizing that they could use this to pick up the scent.

Kakashi whistled for his nin-dogs, holding the small scrap out to their quivering noses. The dogs knew want they had to do, and within seconds they had bounded off into the underbrush, following their prey. The three ninjas exchanged a quick glance before taking to the trees again and pursuing the dogs. There was no way that they could even think about falling behind.

* * *

Back in Konoha, Tsunade sat in her office, not drunk for once. She had ordered everyone out of her office earlier, including Shizune, hoping to catch a rare moment of piece and quiet.

Sighing, she rested her forehead in her hands. She hadn't wanted to admit it before Team Kakashi, but she was terrified about what might happen to Sakura. Over the years of training with the pink-haired ninja, she had realized that Sakura was more than a friend to her: she was like a daughter.

Tsunade closed her eyes trying to will away all her fears. Sakura would be fine. She _was_ in the Bingo Book for a reason. And Team Kakashi was searching for her, so at least she would have back-up when they found her.

But despite all the facts, Tsunade still couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going to happen. And if worse came to worse, she was going to never see Sakura again.

**First off, I want to thank AngelFox23, sadbird, and kycou for reviewing. You all get a cookie! hands out c****ookies Anyways, I hope you all like the chapter! **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sorry for the wait everyone, but I've been away on vacation and haven't had any internet access for a looooooooong time. So I'm really sorry, and you guys have every right to throw tomatoes at me. But here's the next chaper, and it's short, I know, but that's because what I want to right next is going to be long, and I didn't want to put it into this part, because then it'd be super long, and that'd be crazy.

I just realized that I should come up with some chapter names. After all, saying chapter one, chapter two…is so boring. But alas, I'm unimaginative and can't think of any. Anyways, here's the next chappie.

* * *

'This was getting to be rather normal,' Sakura thought as she woke up again to feel her entire body hurting. She had never felt this badly before, even when she trained with Tsunade. She hated the fact that Itachi could cause her this much pain just from a genjutsu.

She rolled herself over onto her stomach and pushed herself up, noticing her charka was still at top level. However, this time she knew that it did not matter. If Itachi were out there, she would not stand a chance. Her mind began to race with ideas at the thought of her 'guard.' There was no way he could always be there. He was still a human after all, which meant he had to sleep, eat, and use the bathroom some times. She grinned. That meant she had to have other guards as well, and that they had to have shifts.

Sakura punched her fist in the air silently before beginning to work out her plan. If they changed guards, that meant they had a minor period where no one was there, or that they might let their guard down for a second. She immediately dismissed the first since it was highly doubtful the Akatsuki would ever do something so foolish. On the other hand…Her hopes sunk. It was also silly to think that they would let their guards down.

With a growl she stood up, noticing for the first time the small tray of food placed on a low table by the door. Walking over, she picked it up, examining it in order to make sure it was not poisoned, before dismissing the idea. If Akatsuki wanted her dead, then they would kill her outright, not discretely. She sat down, happily eating the food, grateful to get something into her growling stomach. She did not know how long she had been unconscious, but it had to have been at least two days.

Two days meant the Hokage had received word of her abduction. She would have assembled a team immediately, and it did not take a genius like Sakura to know who would be on the team. Naruto would literally almost kill anyone else assigned to the mission, and Kakashi specialized in tracking, so…that just left the third spot open. She had been working with Sai lately, so it was possible that he would be given the mission.

Sakura grinned. Akatsuki were going to have a hard time standing up to her boys, S-Class criminals or not. She could not wait.

* * *

A few doors down in the compound the Akatsuki members staying there were having their weekly meeting. They were just finishing up with the matter concerning their unwilling houseguest.

"I don't see why we're keeping her, yeah." The blond haired missing-nin from Stone whined as he leaned back in his chair. "You haven't even said what you're going to do with her, yeah."

"Obviously it's a ploy to lure the Nine-tailed beast here. After all, they are friends." Deidara glared at his partner who had explained the plan to him, disliking the tone of contempt for not figuring it out in his voice, but refusing to say anything back to the puppet master.

Kisame finished his shot of sake and grinned, his sharp teeth glinting in the light. "I say we have some fun with her. After all, there's nothing to do here, and I'm getting kind of bored."

Three sets of eyes turned to Itachi, waiting for a reply. He merely stood up and turned to walk out, a "Hn" drifting behind him.

"What's with these Uchiha's?" Deidara cried. "They never give you straight answers, yeah." "Idiot, the answer's no." Without another word the trio got up and left to their respective rooms, pondering over why their leader's choice of the girl.

* * *

Sakura had finished her meal and was going over her room again, trying to see if maybe she missed something the first time that would help her escape. Finally finding nothing, she frowned and sat on her bed, staring at the door.

"I'm so bored. No one ever said that captivity was boring." She sighed and began to meditate, hoping to calm herself down before one of her captors came. She had been surprised earlier when she felt no one in the halls, but when she had gone to check if she could open her door, she found it locked and guarded with a seal that would instantly alert the Akatsuki if she tried to break it. She had glared at the door and walked around the room, cursing the Akatsuki, and Itachi in particular.

Now she was resigned to waiting for whatever her captors decided to do. She was unable to fully train, as the room was too small, and the Akatsuki had not provided her with any scrolls to read, promising that her stay with them would be as mundane as humanly possible.

Finally sinking into her center, she was disrupted by the sound of a key turning in her lock and her door sliding open. Blinking furiously, she turned to whomever it was that entered; ready to yell at them, when the words died in her throat. Standing there watching her as impassively as ever, was Itachi.

* * *

"Naruto, we need to stop." "No! We can't! Not when Sakura might be in danger!" Kakashi sighed at his stubborn student and what good are we going to be if we're too tired to even help her? Sakura deserves the best, and us running ourselves ragged is not going to help her."

The blonde ninja finally agreed and the tired ninjas finally settled in for the night, unaware that things were going to start getting harder.

Ok, that's it. Like I said, short, but the next chapter will be longer, I sincerely promise. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here you go!! You guys should be proud of me. This one has 2,085 words!! Yay! Anyways, sorry for not updating sooner, but I haven't had much time to work on it. I promise that the next chapter will have some more of the boys in it, but I was in a Sakura mood, so yeah. Alright, enough of my babbling. Here's chapter four!**

Chapter Four:

_Flashback_

"_Father!" A little girl ran crying, tears streaming down her cheeks, oblivious to the people surrounding her. "Father!" Everywhere it was silent, save for the girl's running feet and the man's labored breathing. It was as if a crystalline barrier had been placed around the two, and it seemed like if anyone moved or spoke, it would instantly dissipate, "Father! What happened?" She knew, he knew, it was just a matter of denial. The pool of dark red staining the front of his shirt and the ground was too much to merely be a simple flesh wound. He quirked his lips upwards, straining to give his beloved daughter one last smile. "It'll be okay, don't worry about me. I just need a rest at the hospital." She shook her head, her tears flying, mixing with the blood. "No, you're lying, don't leave me."_

_He cupped her cheek in his hand, wiping away the tears that stained her cheek and pulled her towards him, hugging her tightly. "I will always be here for you, trust me. I may not be here physically, but-" He placed her hand on her heart. "I will always be there."_

_She tried valiantly to stem the flow of tears, nodding her head almost violently. "I do trust you Father, but I don't want you to go!" He smiled again, lips slowly turning blue. "My dear, I would not leave you for all the riches in the world. But it is not always our place to choose." He pulled her closer once more in a grip that was slowly loosing its strength. "Listen to me. Never give up. Even if it seems like all hope has given up, keep trying. It's only when you've stopped believing that you have failed, that you truly have. Promise me, that you'll never give up, no matter who you're up against, or what the circumstances are. Promise me!"_

_She hiccupped, her eyes solemn and wide. "I promise Father." His eyes closed and the smile lingered a few minutes longer. "Thank you. And tell your mother I'm sorry, will you, Sakura?"_

_At her nod, his hand fell, and with that, the barrier was broken, people began to crowd in around the pair, and above all their clamoring voices rose the wail of a heartbroken girl._

_End Flashback_

Sakura snapped her eyes open, her deep breathing loud in the awful stillness of the night. It wasn't the first time she had dreamed of her father's death, but it had been so **long**. She had been certain that she had finally accepted it, given it the release it needed, but obviously, she was wrong. Unless, of course, it was the effects of the cursed Uchiha's "torture time" as she called it. Every night he came into her room, never saying anything, just staring at her with his eyes, those eyes so deep and unreadable that seemed to dreg up all the memories of her past that she had never wanted to see again.

Her body convulsed slightly with an involuntary shiver at the memory. She couldn't figure him out at all. She was certain that she was just meant to be bait to lure her boys to the Akatsuki, but if that was the case, then why did Itachi keep watching her? It was unsettling, and it was a mystery. And if there was one thing Sakura hated more than being made fun of, it was a, mystery she couldn't solve.

She hunched over, resting her head in her hands. Her body cried out for sleep, but her mind was too restless to assuage her body's craving. If she even tried to go to sleep, at best she wouldn't sleep. At the worse, she'd have more nightmares, and that wasn't something she was brave enough to face if given a choice.

She sat like that for the rest of the night, mentally going over medical scrolls she had studied while under Tsunade's tutelage, trying to keep her mind busy, and her relief when she saw the sunlight creeping into her room was like nothing she had ever felt before. How she wished she were back in Konoha right now. There she had a life helping others. Here, here she was demoted to worrying and being watched like a pet animal. After all, strong as she was, she couldn't take on so many members of the Akatsuki at once. Maybe if she caught one unaware, but the chances of that were slim.

It was the rasp of her door against the floor that finally roused her from her thoughts. Looking up, she saw the blue skinned Kisame, smiling at her in a way that he knew would terrify a person. Nobody liked to see that many teeth in such a close proximity.

"Hey Kunoichi, you hungry?" Sakura looked at him startled and said the one intelligible word that came to her mind. "Huh?" He shook his head, either disgusted or amused, it was unclear, before replying. "I said, are you hungry? Deidara bought too much for breakfast, and Itachi said that if you wanted some, you could get some."

Sakura could only continue to stare at him in suspicious shock. She had never been allowed out of her room before. She had a bathroom connected to her room, and her food was always delivered to her. So why would she suddenly be allowed the freedom of movement previously barred? With a shrug of her shoulders, right now her stomach took precedence over all musings, she nodded to Kisame and gingerly followed him throughout the passages to the kitchen.

She was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a well-kept, not to mention spacious, kitchen that showed signs of obvious use. The counters were stocked with dried food and bottles of beverages, as well as multitudes of cooking utensils that gleamed slightly in the light from the window. She spotted a refrigerator in the corner, next to an oven and stove. Over all, it looked like the Akatsuki took their cooking seriously, and valued the well-being of their kitchen.

A quick flash of red and black drew her eye to the window which looked out over the training grounds. Or at least what she assumed to be the training grounds. The flash she had seen belonged to a young boy with red hair who was manipulating a puppet to attack a long blonde-haired man who was smiling and molding clay. Sasori and Deidara then. She remembered her briefings on the Akatsuki, and as such, was as familiar with who they were as she was Naruto or Sasuke.

Keeping one eye on the sparring Akatsuki, Sakura gracefully navigated the kitchen, pulling out silverware and dishes for her breakfast before serving herself and sitting down at the table. She took a bite, still watching the training, and almost moaned in delight. She didn't know where the food came from, but it was some of the best food that she had ever eaten. Ignoring the outside now, she proceeded to down her food, and went back for seconds, mentally lamenting what this would do to her body with no exercise. She dismissed it with a shrug and sat down again, propping her feet on one of the extra chairs and began eating once more. On the outside she looked relaxed and comfortable, but inside her body was coiled and tensed to spring at any warning. Her mind was racing with different possibilities. For all she knew, all the Akatsuki were out there, and she would be able to wander around the base. After all, nobody had come to collect her after Kisame had left her with a muttered excuse of not liking being in the same room with her.

A loud crash and a cloud of wood splinters threw her out of her musings as she jumped to her feet, food instantly forgotten. Running to the door leading outside, she saw Deidara slumped against the wall a few feet to her left, a distinct line of red ripping across his shoulder and dripping onto the ground.

Her medic side took over, immediately forgetting that the Akatsuki were her enemies. All she saw in front of her was a wounded person that she could help. She started towards Deidara, intent on helping him when her arm was suddenly caught in a painful grip she knew would leave bruises. Sakura looked up and back to see Itachi staring at her, his face blank and Sharingan eyes unreadable. "What do you think you're doing?" His voice was stern and slightly accusatory. She glared back at him, her tone fierce. "I was going to go and hea-" Her voice cut off as soon as she realized what she had been planning on doing and she sagged slightly, shocked at her own actions.

Now the entire yard was silent, everyone watching her and Itachi. "Come, Kunoichi, finish what you were going to say." The Uchiha's voice could almost have been called pleasant, if not for the sly look in his eyes.

Sakura just stared at the ground, still shocked. "I…I was going to heal him…" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she obediently replied. "Then you can go and heal him." Her head shot up, expressions of anger and disbelief warring on her face. "You think I'm going to heal him?!" Her tone was incredulous, as if Itachi should have known better to even think of suggesting that. "You will heal him." The grip on her arm tightened further with each steel hard word spoken, bringing Sakura to tears as she stubbornly stared back in refusal. "You will heal him or you will suffer worse each night than you have been." The threat was more than Sakura could take. Seeing memories of her past was not something that she chose to see, and she knew what Itachi could do to her if he decided to unleash the full power of his Mangekyoun on her.

"Fine," she mumbled, "I'll heal him." The grip on her arm loosened and then disappeared altogether. She rubbed her arm wincing at the bruises and took a deep breath, switching back to medic mode. "I'm going to need some form of distilled alcohol, bandages, and clean water. Make sure it's hot."

She walked over to Deidara and poked around his wound, grinning ferally when he winced in discomfort. The grin only grew more pronounced when her supplies were brought to her. She opened the container of alcohol and flashed a mouthful of teeth at Deidara who paled. Just because they were forcing her to heal Deidara didn't mean she had to be nice about. She grabbed hold of Deidara's shoulder and held it steady before getting ready to pour the liquid on it. She smiled at him, completely different from before, and said pleasantly, "Hold on, this might sting a bit."

* * *

Later that night, Sakura chuckled grimly to herself, as she recalled Deidara's screams when she had poured the alcohol into his wound. She had thought that a war hardened, missing-nin, and member of the Akatsuki could take a little pain. Guess not. He had uttered an ear-piercing scream and then fainted, his eyes rolling back into his head. The only thing holding him up was Sakura's hand clenched firmly onto his shoulder. She had cleaned the wound and bandaged it, using as little charka as possible. She didn't want him to be active anytime soon. Her way she was able to give her boys more of a fighting chance, and herself a better chance of escape.

After she had finished, she had packed everything up, left it in the kitchen, and then headed back up to her room, ready to take a shower. Deidara's wound hadn't been deep, but he had bled profusely, staining her clothes a deep rusty brown. Although Sakura was used to being covered in blood, it didn't mean she liked it. Therefore, a shower it was, if nothing else.

She grabbed her extra, and only other, set of clothing and heading off to the bathroom, unaware that she was humming. She probably wound have stopped and hidden herself if she knew there was a curious pair of eyes watching her from behind.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys liked it. I'm sure you know what's coming next. points to the little purple button at the bottom of the screen please push that and review. Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5

I really am sorry that I took so long to post another chapter. I'm not going to give excuses, because that's unfair to y'all. Anyways, here's the next chapter, hope you like it!

Chapter Five:

Naruto slammed his fist into a tree, not even registering the pain that flared and then settled into a steady throb before slamming his hand into a different tree. Behind were the littered remains that marked his passage through the forest. The trio had lost Sakura's trail about half and hour, and Kakashi had been forced to summon his ninja dogs. Since then, the team had been staying in the same spot, waiting for the dogs to report back. Or at least Sai and Kakashi had been staying still. Naruto couldn't stop taking his anger and frustration out on the poor trees in his way. Both of his teammates had realized that it would be futile to stop him, and had left him alone, wisely staying out of his range.

Naruto paused, his bloody hand hanging limp at his side. His chest heaved with violent sobs, and Kakashi and Sai turned away, not wanting to be the witnesses to Naruto's emotions. It had never bothered them before, but if they watched, they knew they both would break down as well. This was different than recovering a lost item or rescuing a kidnapped villager. This was their friend, their teammate. Sakura had taken them all under her wings, and unconsciously healed each of them. They had all changed because of her, and if she were lost because of them, they would never forgive themselves.

Naruto finally stopped and looked over at Kakashi and Sai, her normally blue eyes tinged with red. "We can't just sit around Kakashi-sensei. We need to do something."

"I know Naruto, but until Pakkun comes back, we have to stay here. If we rush off with no direction, then-" His words were cut off when he jumped to his feet, kunai drawn and followed closely by Sai and Naruto. They all stared at the rustling bushes and breathed a quick sigh when Pakkun walked out. "Pakkun, you're back! What did you find?"

The ninja dog snorted in annoyance at Naruto's loud question and sat down, scratching his ears. "The trail picks up about a mile from here. Keep going straight and then turn west. Afterwards it's a clear run." Naruto could have hugged the little pug, but he wasn't a fan of getting bitten. He ran in the direction Pakkun had mentioned, waving his thanks. Sai and Kakashi quietly thanked the dog and sped off eagerly, unable to wait any longer. They would now be able to find Sakura.

***

Sakura sneezed and then cursed. Somebody was talking about her. She hated that. She reclined against her bed post, trying to figure out who it would be. Naruto, Sai, Kakashi, Tsunade…she stopped, realizing that she would probably go through over half the village. She had treated almost all of them one time or another, and had become good friends with others. By now, they would have heard that the Akatsuki had kidnapped her. It was going to suck having to comfort everyone when-not if- she got back.

Sakura wasn't a rude person by nature, but the prospect of having to comfort hundreds of people terrified her. Actually, the idea of hiding under her bed when she first got back didn't sound half so bad.

Grumbling, she stood, stretching, before falling to the floor to go through her daily warm-up routine. Since she hadn't had the chance to get out and train, she had been practice more and more on her warm-ups. As a result, muscles already hardened by years of training grew even harder, endurance and flexibility grew, and her body stayed in fighting form.

Her breathing easy, Sakura finished her push-up to starts on sit-ups, wincing every now and then as her stomach muscles protested. More than anything, she hated sit-ups. They made her belly hurt, and she was convinced that nobody looked good doing them. She lay on her back, down with her hated exercise, before reaching her hands over her hands and pushing her body off the floor with her toes and fingers, arching her body into a perfect curve before pushing off with her toes to come to a handstand. She maintained it for a few minutes and then did the splits, pushing her legs down as far as they could go to slide to the ground to do the splits again. She pulled herself up again did a few more backflips. Finally satisfied that she was adequately warmed up, she set about to practicing her punches, focusing her attacks on her sturdy dresser. Not for the first time was Sakura thankful for the hardened skin on her knuckles. As unsightly as it appeared, it helped to protect her hands when she didn't have her gloves.

The Kunoichi's practice continued for another hour before she sat down, sweating but happy. She loved the feeling of being in perfect form. She heard from some of the drug addicts that she had treated that once you got high, nothing could ever compare. Sakura didn't believe it. Nothing could beat the feel of having muscles stretch and move in flowing ease as you moved, complimented with the knowledge that you were powerful and unstoppable. Drugs had nothing on that.

She was roused out of her musings by a knock on the door. Wiping away the sweat on her forehead, she stood up. "Come in." Deidara walked in, accompanied by Itachi. Sakura sighed, realizing that it was once again time to check up on Deidara. So far no one had seen it necessary for her to use her charka, and that was her only relief. She didn't want to waste her growing supply on the blonde ninja, and she also didn't want him to heal any faster.

She motioned them to sit down and then opened the pack that Itachi silently offered her. Reaching inside, she pulled out a kunai and walked over to Deidara to cut off the bandages wrapped around his shoulder and torso. He had his head turned away from her, but she could still his grimace of discomfort. She grinned, realizing that he still remembered the first time she treated him. That was fine with her. Having them fear her was her advantage.

Sliding the flat end of the kunai under the bandages, she twisted it upwards, cutting through the many layers, revealing Deidara's pale skin marred by the angry red swelling from the wound. Poking it, and relishing in Deidara's cry of pain, she frowned, looking at it. It shouldn't have been this red. She had been using all the correct ingredients to treat such an injury and to stave off infection, but it was still looking unhealthy. Still frowning, not realizing that both Itachi and Deidara were watching her in suspicion, she pulled a small notebook out of her pocket. It was her medical journal that she always kept with her, and one of the few things that the Akatsuki hadn't confiscated from her. Flipping through the pages, she stopped and read to herself, her lips moving silently, as two fascinated Akatsuki members watched. Finally finding the information that she wanted, Sakura snapped the book closed and glared up at Deidara. "You're allergic to one of the ingredients that I used in cleaning your shoulder, and it's only made your wound worse. I have to re-clean it and make an entirely new ointment."

She rummaged through the pack, mumbling about idiots who couldn't even tell her what they were allergic to, and emerged holding a small bottle of alcohol and wipes. Trying not to laugh as Deidara paled, she turned to Itachi and spoke briskly. "You'll need to hold him down. If he starts moving around while I'm cleaning his shoulder, he'll only make it worse." Her only acknowledgement was Itachi moving over to Deidara and placing an arm across his torso and another on his inured shoulder, holding him firmly against the bed. Sakura wet the wipes and fixed a stern eye on Deidara. "You better behave. It won't hurt that bad,"

The blonde glared at her, unable to move. "That's what you said last time, and it sure as hell hurt, yeah." She glared back. "Well maybe if you weren't such a baby it wouldn't bother you as much. Who ever heard of a Akatsuki member, afraid of getting his injuries healed?" Deidara refused to answer and Sakura set about cleaning his shoulder again, a vicious smile on her face.

***

Naruto pulled handfuls of twigs out of his hair, scowling as they pulled out his hair as well. "Who's bright idea was it to go through those bushes?" Kakashi glanced at him for a second and then back to his beloved Icha Icha. I believe it was you Naruto." The hyperactive ninja shook his head. "No it wasn't. I wanted to go around them, you wanted to go through them." The Copy Ninja lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug. "Whatever you say Naruto. I'm sure you're right." Unable to pick up the sarcasm, Naruto beamed triumphantly. "Of course I'm right. I'm always right, believe it!" "Trust us, we do." Sai's quiet voice came from where he was setting up the food for their dinner. Naruto glowered at him. "Teme, you're just jealous because I was right." Sai poked the food and then shrugged, just like Kakashi had done, just a few minutes ago. "Who could be jealous of someone like you?" Naruto's face twisted in confusion. "Was that an insult teme?" Sai looked unconcerned. "Did you want it to be one? I thought it was fairly obvious, especially since you have such a small dick-" Naruto blushed and interrupted loudly. "You're so messed up! Why do you keep mentioning that? And it's not small, it's way bigger than yours!"

"You so certain about that?" "Hell yes I am!" Naruto jumped and was about to pull his pants down but was stopped by Kakashi placing a restraining hand on his arm. "How about we call it even, hm? I'm hungry, and we don't know if there's anyone near, so we need to be cautious."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, you're right Kakashi-sensei. I'll' just have to prove Sai wrong some other time." Kakashi sighed in resignation. It was going to be a long night.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**** I am really, really, really sorry about the long wait for this next chapter. I do, however, find it slightly ironic that I'm updating it the same day I did last year. A lot has put me off from writing more for this story. Life, school, the way the manga has been progressing. I have to admit to getting teary eyed when Itachi died. It felt like I was watching my favorite puppy get run over. Not that Itachi is a puppy, but still…**

**Anyways, I'm going to try and finish this up. I highly doubt it's going to finish soon, but I'm going to do my best to write more and keep on working on it. Cookies help with that, so do reviews. Reviews are wonderful little helpers that boost me over my incessant writer's block. **

**Another reason that this chapter took so long to publish is that it got deleted. I'm still upset about that, even though I've rewritten it. But that doesn't change the fact that almost four pages of awesomeness was destroyed. That also helped put me in my dark mood of writer's block. But I digress. You guys came here to read this chapter, not the weird ramblings of my mind. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter Six:

A loud crash reverberated through the room, echoing down the hall and starting the few birds that had been eaten the crumbs littered around the window. Inside the room, the angry kunoichi stood, shouting at the cowering Akatsuki member whose blue skin had paled in both anger and fright.

"You just broke the only mixing bowl left! How am I supposed to make anything without a mixing bowl?!" Sakura glared at Kisame and then at the bright yellow shards sprinkled on the ground. "You're the one who asked me for help. And now I can't do anything."

She stomped away, grumbling loudly about men who couldn't do anything right and kicked the door open to the back courtyard. Along with the kitchen and her room, this was the only place she was allowed to go to without supervision. Or at least, physical supervision. Itachi had still place wards around the courtyard and the windows and doors that alerted him if she tried to escape. She had tried to once, when they first let her use the courtyard and she still had bruises from that. The Akatsuki members hadn't been gentle in retrieving her.

Scuffing her feet in annoyance, she plunked herself down on one of the benches, stretching lazily before collapsing against the back board with a sigh. Maybe it had been wrong to yell at Kisame like that, she thought. He had only wanted me to show him how to make pancakes after all. But, she snorted, it's his fault for trying to juggle the mixing bowl and the measuring cup. I thought ninja were supposed to be able to not drop anything, and he ends up dropping a glass bowl. What an idiot.

She closed her eyes, leaning her head back to bask in the sun. She had been with them for about two weeks by now, and this was their second base. They had only stayed at the first one for a day after she had fixed Deidara's arm up the second time before receiving orders to move out. She had argued, saying that any type of travel could potentially damage the blond ninja's shoulder muscles but she had been ignored. When she refused to leave with them, they had knocked her out, and when she had finally come to, she had been blindfolded and gagged, her wrists and ankles tied and her body slung over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Needless to say, her pride still hadn't recovered. When they had stopped moving she had been dumped onto a cold floor, the ties around her wrists and ankles removed, and then left alone. When she had managed to work the gag and blindfold off she had found herself in a replica of the first room she had been placed in, down to the small window and furnishings. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn that it was the same place.

They had been there ever since, Sakura tending to Deidara's arm which had gotten worse, and to the cooking, which none of the criminals seemed inclined to do. At the old base they had always eaten take out, but it seemed that this new location was too isolated for such commodities. Instead, Sakura had been pointed in the direction of the kitchen, handed an apron, and set to work. At first she was indignant, but after awhile she grew to like it. There was something about cooking that relaxed her, set her mind and body at ease. Cooking always brought memories of giggling with her friends as they made cookies for sleepovers and cupcakes for birthdays. They would have icing competitions, and then spend the rest of the time gossiping with each other. It was a time Sakura treasured, and as much as she wished she could relive that time, she didn't think that any of her captors would agree to engage in such an act.

She sat out there for almost three hours, breathing in the fresh air that soothed her nerves and made her feel like anything was possible. Finally, she stood, stretching stiff muscles before heading inside.

It was a mess. The kitchen had been destroyed, dough covering every surface and ingredients strewn across the counter and floor. The stove was still on, and in the frying pan was these black crispy things, sizzling merrily in oil. Sakura took it all in with wide eyes before turning to the culprit. Kisame stood there, wearing her previously clean apron, covered from head to toe in flour. His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he tried to maneuver the spatula underneath the burnt crisps, but ending up howling in rage as the hot oil jumped over the pan and onto his hand. He leaped back, sucking the burnt part of his hand and kicked the cabinet, only to wince as he stubbed his toe. Hopping on one foot, he turned to the sink, only to come face to face with a seriously shocked, but amused, kunoichi.

"What are you doing," she asked, her voice dripping with laughter. He opened his mouth, a defensive response ready to come out but yelped as another splatter of oil hit him. Looking at Sakura pitifully, he backed away from the frying pan.

"I was making pancakes." She glanced again at the mess to his less than impeccable self and couldn't help but laugh.

"I..see…Well, you can't have the burner on that high." Guarding herself with the lid to the pan, she reached over, turning off the burner and grabbing the frying pan, moving it to a cold spot on the stove. "And you put too much oil in. Not to mention that you can't cook them this long." Gingerly poking the black lumps with a spoon, she turned to see Kisame looking at the floor desolately. Pity welled up in her at seeing such a strong ninja so upset over ruined pancakes. With a mental sigh, she grabbed another apron out of a drawer, pulling it over her head and turning on the faucet.

"Come on," she said, seeing the blue skinned ninja looking at her with curiosity. "First things first, we need to clean up, then I can show how to make pancakes properly, ok?" Kisame grinned, his sharp teeth glinting and set to, helping her wipe down the counters and floors in record time. The rest of the day was spent with her giving him cooking lessons, and by the time dinner rolled around the kitchen was full of pancakes, cookies, cupcakes, sandwiches, dips, and soups. And by the time Sakura was able to eventually go to sleep, she had seen in Kisame what she thought she would only see in her friends back home: a person who liked to make things for the comfort it provided, and not for the honor it received. When she fell asleep that night, she wasn't plagued by thoughts of escape or her team, but was instead lulled with the soothing knowledge that she had finally made a friend.

**A/N: I know it wasn't long, but I felt that it was better to just get back to writing something I enjoyed instead of writing a pile of crap that none of us enjoyed. I love Kisame, he's just really funny, and I had a lot of fun making him into a cooking wannabe. The entire time I wrote this I was picturing Kisame with puppy dog eyes. But please, send me reviews. It'd be great to know what you think! Bye for now!**


	7. Chapter 7

Caught in the Dark Chapter 7

A ninja's life was constructed around rules. Never question your team leader, always be prepared and, most important of all, the mission comes first. Those three guidelines were what helped order a ninja's life. But even more important was the sacred rule: A ninja must never show emotion.

Giving in to emotion was like giving in to death. Emotions complicated things. Emotions skewed one's perception and could trick one into making stupid decisions. All ninjas realized this simple truth and took steps to protect themselves. Some took to creating a new persona, someone who wasn't bothered by anything. Others invested their time and money into alcohol, finding relief in the brief moments of numbing drink. A few others took up smoking. And some chose to build an impenetrable wall around their hearts, refusing to let anyone in.

Kakashi belonged to the latter group. He had buried what remained of his heart after his team had died and turned to Icha Icha and sake to help mask his pain. It didn't work, alcohol only made him sleepy and Icha Icha made him smile, but neither made him forget. Which was why he was mentally cursing up a storm, glad that at least his outward appearance remained as stoic as ever. Sai, Naruto, and he had found the abandoned building where Akatsuki must have held Sakura. They had searched the entire place but were only able to conclude that she had been there by her lingering scent, and that she was unharmed. Beyond that, they were lost.

The Copy-Nin rubbed his eye tiredly. He hadn't slept well since he had learned about Sakura's capture and having to camp with the younger members of his team didn't help his insomnia at all. Kakashi sighed, drooping a little; he was beginning to feel his age.

Looking around, he saw nothing but blue sky lined by green forest. It was peaceful and beautiful, but Kakashi couldn't shake the lingering fear that they were running out of time. That _Sakura_ was running out of time. Stamping down on the worry and panic that was threatening to take control, Kakashi stood up, grabbing his pack as he motioned to the rest of his team to set out. He was a ninja. Emotions had no place in his life. He would succeed in bringing Sakura back or he would die trying. There was no in between.

* * *

Sakura slammed her shot glass down, laughing as she watched Kisame waver unsteadily on the opposite side of the table before falling over to smash his head into the neighboring chair. In the corner Deidara shook his head at their antics. He was all for enjoying a good glass of sake, but he never could see why people thought it would be fun to get drunk.

Sakura refilled the two glasses, accidentally spilling some of the amber liquid on the table. "Oops, got to clean that uuup." Her voice slurred on the last word and she and Kisame burst into giggles, gripping their stomachs as they fought to breathe.

"Uuuuuuppp," Kisame mimicked, sending the duo into another round of giggles. Deidara shook his head again. How did _he_ get stuck with the task of babysitting? Deciding it was time to call it quits, he reached over, neatly snagging the almost empty bottle of sake with his unwounded arm.

"That's enough for tonight, yeah. I'm almost afraid that you two will set something on fire, the way you're acting."

Sakura blinked, green eyes dazed and misty. "Ooh, a fire would be really cool. It'd be all pretty and shiny. Let's make one!" She grasped the table and levered herself to her feet, swaying. "Come on, let's go-" She stopped talking abruptly, hands leaving the table to wrap around her mouth and stomach. Deidara groaned, knowing what was going to happen next.

"I don't feel so good," Sakura whimpered. Yanking opening a cabinet, the blonde grabbed a pot, pushing it under Sakura's mouth just in time as she vomited up the sake she had been drinking all evening.

"Lovely," Deidara muttered before glaring at Kisame. "Don't expect me to help you if you decided to get sick too."

The blue-skinned ninja just waved a hand, smiling up at his friend. "I've got stomach of iron. I'm fine." He proved his statement by passing out, head landing with a bang on the table, sending his sake cup rattling. Deidara rolled his eyes.

"Must be rusted iron, yeah." Tossing Sakura over his shoulder, he half dragged half carried her up to her room. Kicking the door open, he dropped her on the bed, watching her bounce slightly before curling up in a tight ball. Refusing to do anymore, Deidara headed for the door, only to stop at Itachi standing in the doorway. Neither spoke for a few minutes until the blonde snorted and pushed his way past the Uchiha.

"Next time you get to be the nursemaid."

Red and black eyes followed him down the stair before turning back to the unconscious kunoichi, emotions flashing through them swiftly. "Hn."

**A/N: I'm back. **** I'm sorry it took so long to update CITD, I didn't think it would be this long, and I do apologize. I feel like this isn't the best chapter I've written, but I knew I had to write something again or I would just stop completely. I hope you guys did enjoy it, and as always, reviews help!**


	8. Chapter 8

Tsunade slumped over her desk, amber eyes half closed as she rolled her ever present sake cup between her fingers. Kakashi's report had come in that morning, letting the Hokage know that they had found Akatsuki's hiding spot, but that the group had fled. That Sakura wasn't there. They would keep searching, though, and he would send another report in another week. It was standard procedure, but deep in her gut Tsunade felt like it was all for nothing.

She sighed and pushed herself away from her desk, standing up to pace in front of the windows overlooking the village. "Sakura…" she whispered, a frown marring the lines of her face. For all that it was Akatsuki, Tsunade knew Kakashi's tracking prowess. And she knew her student. Sakura would not go along with her kidnappers easily, her pride as a shinobi wouldn't let her. So why, Tsunade mused, did Kakashi report no signs of a struggle at the abandoned hideout? Surely Sakura would have left sign behind, right? Tsunade kept pacing, hoping that if she did, the sinking feeling in her stomach would go away.

* * *

"Did you know," Deidara said pleasantly, "that you snore when you are drunk?"

A pair of reddened jade eyes stared blearily up at the blonde. "You are making that up," Sakura hissed. "I do not snore."

Deidara grinned. "Are you certain? Because those weird, rumbly noises coming from your room sure sounded like snores. Maybe it was your stomach."

Sakura glared at him before closing her eyes, wishing fervently that the sun would stop shining and that her head would stop hurting. She also wished that a certain ninja hadn't woke her up at seven in the morning, just so he could annoy her. "What do you want, Deidara?" Sakura mumbled. "It's too early for this." She cracked open one eye to look at him. "I want to go back to sleep."

Deidara wagged a finger at her. "Here I was, trying to make you feel better, yeah? And all I get is a whiny child."

"Shut up. I'm tired, hungry, and my head hurts. I don't want to listen to you."

"That's your fault, yeah. You shouldn't drink so much, especially not with Kisame. I did try to warn you, but…" Deidara shrugged. "You wouldn't listen."

"I hope you know that I'm not listening now either." Sakura rolled over, burying her face in the crook of her arm. "It's Saturday. Who in their right mind wants to get up this early on a Saturday?"

"People who don't get so hammered that they have to be carried to bed."

"What?" Sakura shot up and immediately groaned, eyes slamming shut as she held a hand to her head. "Ooh, that was not smart…." Her hand began to glow with chakra and Deidara realized with a start that more of Sakura's chakra had come back than he had known. He reluctantly made a mental note to let the others know. They might have grown fond, in their own way, of the pink-haired medic, but that didn't change the fact that she was deadly. And while she might have grown even the tiniest bit fond of them, Deidara was under no illusions. If Sakura was able to fight, she would do it.

Pushing himself off of the table, Deidara leaned over to tap Sakura's shoulder. "What?" she mumbled. "I'm trying to sleep."

"You are going to drool all over the table like that," he said practically. "Come on. I'll get Kisame to make you some tea."

"Kisame can't seem to walk into the kitchen without something bursting into flame and you want me to believe that he can make tea." Sakura rolled her head to the side so she could look up at Deidara. "You just want him to poison me, don't you?"  
The blonde sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Are you always this stubborn when you're hung over?" He held up a hand as Sakura opened her mouth to respond. "No, no answer. It was rhetorical." He shook his head at the kunoichi. "Do I need to carry you, or can you walk?"

Sakura gave Deidara a haughty look and slowly levered herself to her feet. She stood there, swaying, and then cautiously took a step away from the table. She shuffled a few more feet away, her arms spread slightly for balance. She looked over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at Deidara. "See, I'm fine."

"Mhm," he said noncommittally, "of course you are." He stepped forward, passing Sakura as she made her slow way to the stairs. "I'll just let Kisame know that you'll be expecting some tea later on." He disappeared up the stairs, leaving Sakura to glare at the wall behind him.

Out of her sight, he seemed to sag, his shoulders drooping as he slowed down. It was too bad they were enemies, he thought, it would be...nice…he decided, to have someone new around. And at least he could get along with her, mostly. His arm twitched at the memory of her rough treatment of his injury and he shoved his shoulders back. This was no time to get sentimental. Sakura Haruno was his enemy. But most importantly, she was their pawn. Nothing, and no one, would be allowed to change that.


End file.
